Welcome To KEY TO THE CITY's Page For
Salem
Marion County, Oregon
ZipCodes
97301, 97302, 97304, 97306
Motto
The Oregon State Capital
Page Contents for Salem, Oregon
History & History-related items
Chamber of Commerce.
Organizations, Churches, and Sports.
Statistics & Facts
The Oregon state capital is Salem.
The population of Salem is approximately 118,355 (1997), 154637 (2010).
The approximate number of families is 42,601 (1990), 57290 (2010).
The amount of land area in Salem is 107.584 sq. kilometers.
The amount of surface water is 1.593 sq kilometers.
The distance from Salem to Washington DC is 2559 miles.
Salem is positioned 44.92 degrees north of the equator and 123.02 degrees west of the prime meridian.
Salem elevation is 171 feet above sea level.
Salem average annual rainfall is 42 inches per year
The average low temperature is 40.9 degrees F.
The average high temperature is 63.1 degrees F.
Location
Willamette Valley in Northwestern Oregon, Crossroads of Interstate 5 and Oregon Hwy. 22. 50 miles south of Portland, 60 miles east of the coast, and 64 miles north of Eugene. It is in the Willamette Valley, between the Oregon coastline and the Cascade Mountains.Return to Index
Climate
mild. Here is a weather page for Salem.
Return to Index
History & History Related Items
Salem is one of Oregon's oldest cities. The Calapooya Indian name for the area was "Chemeketa" which means "meeting or resting place."
In 1840, the Jason Lee Mission was moved from the Willamette River upstream to a site on Mill Creek. Then in 1842, the missionaries established the Oregon Institute. In 1844, a townsite was laid out on the Institute lands. It is unclear who actually decided on a name for the town but it is believed to have been either David Leslie, who came to Oregon from Salem, Mass., or W.H. Willson. Both men were active in the establishment of the town. The name, "Salem" is the American form of the Hebrew word, Shalom, which means peace.
Salem is now the capital of the state of Oregon, but it hasn't always been. Back in 1851, the capital was located in Oregon City and moved to Salem; then in 1855, it was moved again to Corvallis. It didn't remain there very long. As a matter of fact, it was moved back to Salem the same year. Salem has worked hard to preserve its historic downtown core and has twice been selected an "All-America City" by the National Civic League. (Submitted by Rebecca Whitson, High Desert Middle School)The missionaries who came into the Salem area called it "Salem", an form of the Hebrew word, shalom, meaning "peace". Salem is the capital of Oregon and also the Marion County seat.
A history page with pictures for Salem
Return to Index
The settling of Salem
1840The founding of Salem
1850The incorporation of Salem
1857Attractions
The Salem Convention and Visitor’s Bureau
Attractions in Salem
Things to do in and around Salem
Mission Mill Village
1313 Mill Street SE
Salem, Oregon 97301
Phone: 503-585-7012
Toll-free: 800-874-7012
Only three blocks from the capitol building, spend all day exploring this five-acre park with activities for all ages, particularly the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill
The Historic Bush House
Built 1877-1878
600 Mission Street SE
Salem, Oregon 97302
Phone: 503-363-4714
Oregon State Fair
held the end of August-beginning of September each year
2330 17th STreet NE
Salem, OR 97303-3201
Phone: 503-947-3247
Fax: 503-947-3206
Return to Index
Salem City Government
Salem government consists of an appointed manager with eight elected council members. There is also an elected mayor.Home page for Salem, Oregon
Salem Mayor Office
555 Liberty St SE
Salem, OR 97301-3513
Phone: 503-588-6159
Salem Chamber
Salem Area Chamber of Commerce
1110 Commercial St. NE
Salem, Oregon 97301-1020
Phone: 503-581-1466
Salem Organizations
Salem Area Chamber of Commerce
1110 Commercial St. NE
Salem, Oregon 97301-1020
Phone: 503-581-1466
Salem Libraries
Salem Public Library
585 Liberty NE
Salem, Oregon 97301
Phone: (503) 588-6315
e-mail for library - Library@open.org
Marion County Law Library
100 High St NE
Salem, OR 97301-3640
Phone: 503-588-5090
Mark O Hatfield Library
900 State St
Salem, OR 97301-3930
Phone: 503-370-6312
Oregon State Libr Talking Book
250 Winter St NE
Salem, OR 97310-1302
Phone: 503-378-3849
Oregon State Library
250 Winter St NE
Salem, OR 97310-1302
Phone: 503-378-4243
State Library
250 Winter St NE
Salem, OR 97310-1302
Phone: 503-378-4277
Western Baptist College Library
5000 Deer Park Dr SE
Salem, OR 97301-9330
Phone: 503-375-7016
West Salem Branch Library
395 Glen Creek Rd NW
Salem, OR 97304-3059
Phone: 503-588-6301
Salem Schools
Salem-Keizer School District1309 Ferry St SE
Salem, OR 97301-4103
Phone: 503-399-3000
HIGHER EDUCATION
Chemeketa Community College
PO Box 14007
4000 Lancaster Dr NE
Salem OR 97309
Phone: 503-399-5000
Western Baptist College
Salem, Oregon 97301
Phone: 503-581-8600
Willamette University, the oldest university west of Missouri, was founded in 1842 by Methodist missionaries and is located in Salem.
900 State St.
Salem, OregonPhone: 503-370-6303
Salem Miscellany
There is an average annual snowfall of 6.45 inches.
Salem is the third largest city in Oregon and is the county seat of Marion County.
Salem has 6.4" of snow per year on an average.
Salem is 45 square miles
A small portion of Salem (contained within its corporate limits of 40,1982 square miles) lies across the river in Polk County.
State Capitol Statistics: Dedicated: 1 Oct 1938; Occupied: 2 July 1938; Capitol Wings Addition: Occupied 5 Jan, 1977; Length: 633 feet; Width: 240 feet; Usable square footage: 275,000; Cubic Footage: 3.2 million; Height, Original Building: 57 ft. 2 in; Height, Wings Addition: 68 ft. 8 in.; Cost, Original Building: $ 2.5 million; Cost, Wings Addition: $ 12.5 million
The Capitol building was damaged by an earthquake on March 25, 1993. It has been in the process of reconstruction and renovation for years since that time. Most original murals will be reinstalled when the project is complete, preserving them for generations to come.
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